Devon Local Live: As it happened

Parcels of public land in Exeter's Stoke Hill area have been purchased by a Community Association for £1,500.

They had been put up for auction by the Public Open Spaces Charitable Trust and residents had raised concerns developers were going to buy the land and build on it.

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Rail firm GWR has defended its actions after refusing Green Party leader Natalie Bennett a coffee in her reusable cup.

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It said: "Staff serve hot drinks on board trains moving at up to 125mph into cups designed for our coffee machines, and subsequently covered with a plastic lid, to reduce the risk of injury to both staff and passengers. Nobody wants to be scolded (sic) on a railway journey. 

"We are however deeply committed to protecting the environment and at present recycle 69% of our waste; are committed to improving this to 75% by March next year and incorporate the Sustainable Rail Principles into our own sustainability strategy."

Ms Bennett tweeted after the incident on a Plymouth to Truro train: "@GWRHelp please remove directive that your train staff must refuse to serve coffee in customers' reusable cups #pointlesswaste".

Exeter sign Pierce Sweeney on a permanent deal after the 1931 Fund contributes £15,000 towards the defender's wages.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Plymouth University has started showing videos on a giant screen which it was told initially it could show only stills.

“The university was granted planning permission in April for an 18-month trial to allow full motion (moving) images on its big screen," said a university spokesman.

The university spent nearly £300,000 on the giant video screen in North Hill despite being told it could not broadcast video.

Planners granted permission for the project providing only still pictures were used, as the site is visible from two major roads and could distract drivers.

An inquiry has started after a seven-year-old boy with severe learning difficulties is left on a school bus all day.

Google MapsCopyright: Google Maps

Police are appealing for witnesses after a teenager was injured in Bitton Avenue, Teignmouth.

The woman, who was walking alone at about 20:00 on Monday, was approached from behind by a man who attempted to steal her handbag, knocking her to the floor, police said.

Following a struggle, the suspect left empty handed in the direction of Park Hill. The 17-year-old suffered a shoulder injury.

A devastating fire that has forced roughly 50 Exeter residents to flee their homes for the foreseeable future has brought out the kindness of strangers. 

Professional big wave surfer Andrew Cotton has been exploring the west coast of Ireland for a giant wave which he thinks is as big as any in the world.

Red BullCopyright: Red Bull

Red BullCopyright: Red Bull

“I've been dreaming about this wave for years, always been watching it from a distance and just wondering until 2013 when [we] missioned out on a very cold January morning,” said Cotton, from Braunton.

Red Bull filmed his search for the wave which Cotton believes ranks among the biggest ever surfed.

"It hasn't been an easy mission and you don't always get what you want," he said. “This place is gnarly, it's remote, isolated and extremely dangerous,” he said.

Red BullCopyright: Red Bull

Roads in Exeter city centre continue to be closed as firefighters deal with the aftermath of a blaze which ripped through the Richer Sounds store on Sidwell Street.

The B3212 Western Way in the city is closed at St Anne's Roundabout. There's congestion on York Road to the Longbrook Street junction and to the Summerland Street junction. 

Sidwell Street between York Road and B3212 Western Way is also affected.

As Lloyds accelerates its job-cutting scheme, axing a further 3,000 roles, even as it reported a 101% increase in pre-tax profits, BBC News looks at the areas affected by bank closures. And as we all know, there's been a few across the South West.

A new treatment room for lymphoedema has opened at North Devon District Hospital.

North Devon District HospitalCopyright: North Devon District Hospital

Lymphoedema is when the lymphatic system, a network of vessels and glands responsible for helping to maintain the balance of fluid within the body, is not working correctly. Fluid then builds up within tissues and causes the affected area to swell.

Rosemary De Noronha, a patient of the lymphoedema service, said: “The new room allows me to take control and help myself with my treatment."

A member of one of the star MTV Crashes Plymouth acts has tweeted saying he is "not well" on the big day.

Two fire engines remain at the scene of a major fire in Exeter, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service has said.

One is from Danes Castle and the other from Middlemoor. Earlier this morning an aerial platform was used at the rear of the building to "tackle hot spots", the service said. 

A structural engineer also attended to assess the building and liaise with police.

Cloud and outbreaks of rain will clear away eastwards early afternoon. 

This will be followed by brighter skies, with some isolated showers. Feeling pleasant in any sunshine. Maximum temperature: 22 Deg C (72 Deg F).

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Forty life-sized painted rhinos will be released on Saturday in streets, parks and open spaces in Exeter and the English Riviera.

Organiser Pippa Craddock said: "There are rhinos created by schools and community groups and rhinos painted by professional artists."

The Great Big Rhino Project has been organised by Paignton Zoo Environmental Park in aid of Critically Endangered wild rhinos. After the trail ends there will be a grand charity auction at which rhinos will be sold off to raise funds.

Paignton ZooCopyright: Paignton Zoo

The leader of the Green Party was outraged when told she was not allowed to use her reusable coffee cup on a train journey in the South West.

In response, GWR replied: "Hi Natalie. Risk assessments are set for certain cups and machines, so we would use our own cup. There is of course nothing stopping you from transferring over if you wish to."

There were almost 200 recorded cases of begging and vagrancy in Exeter last year, that's double the number four years ago, the BBC can reveal.

Traders in the city have complained about people sleeping in shop doorways. Now the police and other agencies are working with the rough-sleeping community to wake them up ahead of business hours. 

St Petrock's - which helps homeless people - has opened its doors early to help them and offer support.

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